Nurse Updates

Dear Families,

The end of the school year is quickly approaching so I just wanted to remind you to please pick up your student’s medication(s) before the end of the last day of school from your child’s school office.

We are not able to send any medication home with students.

Any medications that are not picked up by the end of the school year will be disposed of properly.

If your child is attending summer school and you would like the medication to be available during summer school, please email me.

Below you will find information on the following:

• Immunization Requirements for the 2026-2027 School Year
• Medications for the 2026-2027 School Year
• Health Topic
• Hypertension (May 17th is World Hypertension Day)
• Illness while at School
• Illness Protocol
• Our Health Staff

Thank you!

Nicole Wollert

District Nurse

nicole.wollert@westfieldpioneers.org

Over the summer, please take a moment to review your child's immunizations to see if they are up to date with what Wisconsin law requires for attending a public school. Below is the information on current requirements:

Immunization Requirements for K through 6th grade

Immunization Requirements for 7th grade

Immunization Requirements for 12th grade

Every year schools are required to assess all students’ immunization records to determine compliance with the Wisconsin Student Immunization Law. Students have until the 30th school day to provide the appropriate documentation of immunization or a signed waiver. Starting on the 31st school day, non-compliant students may be excluded from school, in order to remain compliant with the law.

Immunization Exclusion Letter - Parent letter about exclusion based on the Wisconsin Student Immunization Law

If your child will need medication to be given at school next school year, please complete the following medication form.

The law states that a practitioner's signature is required if the medication is a prescription OR the dose written by parent/guardian on medication administration consent form for an over-the-counter medication differs from the recommended therapeutic dose on the medication label.

Due to not receiving many signed medication forms from the providers' offices this past school year, we are asking parents to get their child's provider to sign the medication form PRIOR to giving it to the school office. We will no longer be offering to fax the medication forms to provider's offices/clinics for signatures.

The student's parent/guardian must bring the medication in the original (manufacturer's or pharmacy-labeled) package and the package must list the ingredients and recommended therapeutic dose.

Students are not allowed to keep their own supply of medication in their lockers. Needed medication must be administered through the school office.

STOCK MEDICATION

As a courtesy, the School District of Westfield will offer stock (school supplied) Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen to middle school and high school students (ages 12 and over) while at school as needed during the current school year. Parent/guardian consent is needed for students to receive these stock medications - Stock Medication Consent Form.

Stock medication will be administered according to package directions (stated below):

Acetaminophen 500 mg tablet - One tablet every 6 hours for headache/pain

Ibuprofen 200 mg tablet - One tablet every 6 hours for headache/pain

This consent covers occasional use only, and will be given at the discretion of the school nurse or designated school staff. Any student that requires any of these medications on a regular basis will be asked to provide their own supply of medication and will need a medication consent form filled out by the student's parent/guardian and physician. School supplied medications will not be given to students more than ten times during the school year. If your child reaches the tenth time, a letter will be sent home, alerting you that your child has depleted their doses for the school year.

School supplied medications will only be given to students during the school day; they will not be available on school sponsored trips, athletic events, or after school activities.

World Hypertension Day helps raise awareness of hypertension (high blood pressure) and the dangers of it.

Here is some general information about hypertension:

World Hypertension Day helps raise awareness of hypertension (high blood pressure) and the dangers of it.

Here is some general information about hypertension:

• Hypertension is high blood pressure that affects the body's arteries - the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high so the heart has to work harder to pump blood. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Hypertension is classified as blood pressure over 130/80.
• Blood pressure is systolic blood pressure over diastolic blood pressure.
• Systolic blood pressure measures the pressure your blood is pushing against your artery walls when your heart beats
• Diastolic blood pressure measures the pressure your blood is pushing against your artery walls while your heart muscle rests between beats

• Hypertension increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, aneurysm, heart failure, kidney problems, eye problems, memory changes, metabolic syndrome, and dementia.
• Types of hypertension:
• Primary hypertension (aka essential hypertension) which has no identifiable cause and tends to develop gradually over many years. Atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in arteries) can increase the risk.
• Secondary hypertension is caused by an underlying condition and tends to appear suddenly. Causes of secondary hypertension include: blood vessel problems (present at birth), adrenal gland tumors, kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid problems, cough/cold medicines, some pain relievers, some other prescription drugs, and illegal drugs.
• Prevention:

• Get your blood pressure checked at least every year
• Avoid smoking
• Get regular exercise
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Signs/Symptoms: Most people with hypertension do not have symptoms; however, some may have a headache, shortness of breath, or nosebleeds. You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms.
• Risk Factors:
• Age - risk increases with age
• Race - more common among African Americans
• Family history - risk increases if you have a parent or sibling with hypertension
• Overweight or Obesity - excess weight causes body changes which often increase blood pressure
• Sedentary lifestyle - risk increases with lack of exercise due to weight gain and higher heart rate
• Salty diet - a lot of salt in the body causes the body to retain fluid and this increases blood pressure
• Low potassium levels - increases risk because potassium helps balance salt in the body
• Tobacco use/Vaping - use of these products raises blood pressure. Tobacco also injures the walls of blood vessels
• Drinking alcohol - increases blood pressure
  
• Stress - high stress can increase blood pressure
• Particular chronic conditions - diabetes, sleep apnea, kidney disease can all lead to high blood pressure
• Pregnancy - sometimes can cause high blood pressure

• Treatments can include:
• Lifestyle changes - eating a heart-healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight, stop smoking, limiting alcohol use, getting plenty of sleep
• Medications - Diuretics, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors, Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs), Calcium Channel Blockers, Alpha Blockers, Alpha-Beta Blockers, Beta Blockers, Renin Inhibitors, Aldosterone Antagonists, Central-Acting Agents, Vasodilators

• Statistics (per CDC):
• Nearly half of adults have high blood pressure (48.1% or 119.9 million)
• About 1 in 4 adults with high blood pressure have their blood pressure under control (22.5% or 27 million)
• 45% of adults with uncontrolled high blood pressure have a blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher (37 million U.S. adults)
• High blood pressure costs the U.S. about $131 billion each year

Resources: Mayo Clinic, American Heart Association, CDC

Due to the rising demands for the health office (check out the chart below), we have implemented a new process at the middle/high school for when students visit the health office for non-emergent concerns.

The teachers have been given a handout (see picture below) that lists urgent concerns, in which a student should be sent to the office immediately.

If a student's symptoms are not on this list, the student is encouraged to wait until passing period in order for loss of instructional time to be kept to a minimum.

This process has been implemented in other school districts as well.

What was happening before we implemented this change... students were coming to the office at the beginning or the middle of class, and due to the nurse or health aide being busy with other students (diabetic cares, scheduled medications, emergency medical situations), a student could be waiting for the rest of the class to see the nurse or health aide.

This new process has been working well to limit the amount of time students are missing class.

Note: the number of office visits on the chart does not include the students we see for diabetes care, scheduled medications, or injuries (as these things are documented in a different way and therefore are not part of this count).

When we see a student for illness:

If we see a student who is reporting illness but they do not have a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, eye infection, unidentified rash, or signs of a communicable disease, we offer them any applicable treatment options we have (cough drops, mints, water, crackers, medications if parent consent form is on file), and recommend returning to class. If the student wants to go home, we ask them to use the office phone to call their parent/guardian to discuss it with them.

If your child has a fever over 100 degrees, is vomiting, or has diarrhea, your child should stay home from school. Your child may return to school when they have been free of fever/vomiting/diarrhea for at least 24 hours.

Your child should also stay home from school if he/she has an unidentified rash or live head lice.

If your child has a rash, your child may return to school when their doctor recommends. Please provide a note to your child's school office from their medical provider indicating when they may return.

If your child has live head lice, he/she may return to school after they are treated as long as there are no longer any live lice.

Your child should stay home if he/she has an eye infection and is unable to avoid touching their eyes.

If your child has a communicable disease, please refer to this chart for guidance on when they may return to school.

Our current health aide is retiring at the end of this school year. Congratulations on your retirement Diana!

So the students may see a new face in the health room as training occurs for our new health aide, Caroline Wells. Please join us in giving her a great welcome to our wonderful district!